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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
*3,8 stars*
This review was originally posted on Bookish Wanderess
I had a bit of trouble getting into this book and it has to do with the fact that the descriptions are not that great and, because of that, I had a hard time picturing what was happening in any given scene but specially WHERE it was happening because the descriptions of places, weapons and creatures are really vague, so it gets a bit confusing. That issue continues throughout the book, I did get used to the writing style and I was able to picture things more clearly, but never as well as I would have liked.
One of the most interesting aspect of the book is that there are no humans in this world, there are two main species, the fenthri and the dragons, which both resemble humans but their skin color, their hair color, the shape of their fingers and of their ears are different. To be clear, in this world humans don’t exist at all and I had never read a book where that was the case before.
In this book, there are two societies in this book that have completely different structures and value different things and it was fascinating to see what happened when those two societies came into contact with each other and the way the book disscusses colonialism in a very organic way within the story was very thought-provoking. Also, it was interesting to read a steampunk fantasy and see how the steampunk elements were mixed with the magic and the consequences that has, which leads to a discussion about progress and how sometimes the things we create can have unexpected results, which was really insightful.
The main plot of this book revolves around a journey to the Alchemists Guild and throughout that journey the author gets to show us the world, or at least the Fenthri world and some of the five guilds that exist in that society, which was enteratining to read about. My only problem is that I don’t feel like Elise Kova managed to create enough tension, so, when the characters had troubles throughout their journey I was never really worried or scared for them, I felt like they were gonna be fine. So, as much as I was entertained the entire time, I was never completly engaged by the plot.
What I was captivated by when I was reading this book were the characters. This book has four perspectives and I liked all of them. One of the POVs is actually one of the antagonists and, at the beginning, I didn’t understand why it was included but it ended up beign my favorite perspective to read from, because she was so ruthless and loyal. Another perspective was the main character’s friend, Florence, and I loved how observant and kind she was as well as the role she played in the groups dynamic. As for the main characters, Arianna and Cvareh, I really liked them as individuals and enjoyed their dynamic that went from hate and mistrust to the opposite.
If you are someone who likes character-driven fantasy books I think you would enjoy this one and if you like fantasy that it’s light on the descriptions, this may also be for you.
This review was originally posted on Bookish Wanderess
I had a bit of trouble getting into this book and it has to do with the fact that the descriptions are not that great and, because of that, I had a hard time picturing what was happening in any given scene but specially WHERE it was happening because the descriptions of places, weapons and creatures are really vague, so it gets a bit confusing. That issue continues throughout the book, I did get used to the writing style and I was able to picture things more clearly, but never as well as I would have liked.
One of the most interesting aspect of the book is that there are no humans in this world, there are two main species, the fenthri and the dragons, which both resemble humans but their skin color, their hair color, the shape of their fingers and of their ears are different. To be clear, in this world humans don’t exist at all and I had never read a book where that was the case before.
In this book, there are two societies in this book that have completely different structures and value different things and it was fascinating to see what happened when those two societies came into contact with each other and the way the book disscusses colonialism in a very organic way within the story was very thought-provoking. Also, it was interesting to read a steampunk fantasy and see how the steampunk elements were mixed with the magic and the consequences that has, which leads to a discussion about progress and how sometimes the things we create can have unexpected results, which was really insightful.
The main plot of this book revolves around a journey to the Alchemists Guild and throughout that journey the author gets to show us the world, or at least the Fenthri world and some of the five guilds that exist in that society, which was enteratining to read about. My only problem is that I don’t feel like Elise Kova managed to create enough tension, so, when the characters had troubles throughout their journey I was never really worried or scared for them, I felt like they were gonna be fine. So, as much as I was entertained the entire time, I was never completly engaged by the plot.
What I was captivated by when I was reading this book were the characters. This book has four perspectives and I liked all of them. One of the POVs is actually one of the antagonists and, at the beginning, I didn’t understand why it was included but it ended up beign my favorite perspective to read from, because she was so ruthless and loyal. Another perspective was the main character’s friend, Florence, and I loved how observant and kind she was as well as the role she played in the groups dynamic. As for the main characters, Arianna and Cvareh, I really liked them as individuals and enjoyed their dynamic that went from hate and mistrust to the opposite.
If you are someone who likes character-driven fantasy books I think you would enjoy this one and if you like fantasy that it’s light on the descriptions, this may also be for you.
Steampunk, dragons and adventure. Oh my!
Elise Kova nails it out of the park with a strong start to her second series. The story starts off with an intense opening scene where Ari is living up to her reputation of the "White Wraith". This intense opener grabbed me and I loved it.
I want to talk about using multiple points of view in books. Now this story has a few and they're all unique to the character we're reading from. They bring out the individuals personalities that make them stand out. We have moments of snark, lust and longing. The problems of not remembering what happens when isn't a problem, as their stories are continuously woven together.
One thing that makes Elise's novels stand out is the scenery. The crispness of the color, the buildings and character descriptions are one of the things that make me keep wanting more. This with well rounded characters that have a rich, deep personalities encompasses the beautiful novel.
Many times when we hear steampunk technology being used, we picture the Victorian Era of history. Well, there's no history involved and the technology is magical, literally too. Magic in entwined into the rich story and world.
The world isn't ready for what Ari is going to do to their bookshelves, but it's safe to say, that it'll blow your mind.
Elise Kova nails it out of the park with a strong start to her second series. The story starts off with an intense opening scene where Ari is living up to her reputation of the "White Wraith". This intense opener grabbed me and I loved it.
I want to talk about using multiple points of view in books. Now this story has a few and they're all unique to the character we're reading from. They bring out the individuals personalities that make them stand out. We have moments of snark, lust and longing. The problems of not remembering what happens when isn't a problem, as their stories are continuously woven together.
One thing that makes Elise's novels stand out is the scenery. The crispness of the color, the buildings and character descriptions are one of the things that make me keep wanting more. This with well rounded characters that have a rich, deep personalities encompasses the beautiful novel.
Many times when we hear steampunk technology being used, we picture the Victorian Era of history. Well, there's no history involved and the technology is magical, literally too. Magic in entwined into the rich story and world.
The world isn't ready for what Ari is going to do to their bookshelves, but it's safe to say, that it'll blow your mind.
So I have read my first Elise Kova book. I have been eying her work since the Air Awakens series came out last year, but I just have not gotten around to picking up the first book. When I found out she was coming out with another series, I knew I had to get my hands on it, especially when I heard it was steampunk with "warring" cultures.
First off, I just like to say that Elise has amazing writing ability. This book is so well written, I could easily imagine each character, object, and the world. I loved immersing myself in the world and the characters lives and Elise made that easy. It took me about 30 pages to absorb myself within the world and the characters, but after that I was fully invested and wanted to follow them on their journey in Loom. We follow the POVs of each character in this great trio as well as side characters, including those on the "bad" side.
From the beginning, this book was full of intrigue and action as the trio worked to complete their mission and also learn to work together. I really enjoyed the relationships between all of the characters and seeing them evolve over the course of the book. The end of the book left me with a lot of questions and theories about what we can expect in future books and I'm eagerly awaiting being able to read the sequel and see Ari, Cvareh, and Florence again.
*eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review*
First off, I just like to say that Elise has amazing writing ability. This book is so well written, I could easily imagine each character, object, and the world. I loved immersing myself in the world and the characters lives and Elise made that easy. It took me about 30 pages to absorb myself within the world and the characters, but after that I was fully invested and wanted to follow them on their journey in Loom. We follow the POVs of each character in this great trio as well as side characters, including those on the "bad" side.
From the beginning, this book was full of intrigue and action as the trio worked to complete their mission and also learn to work together. I really enjoyed the relationships between all of the characters and seeing them evolve over the course of the book. The end of the book left me with a lot of questions and theories about what we can expect in future books and I'm eagerly awaiting being able to read the sequel and see Ari, Cvareh, and Florence again.
*eARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley for review*
Wow, I was really sceptical about this author's next series, since I did not like how Air Awakens developed after the second book. But here's the fact - Elise Kova is extremelly skilled at creating and developing the worlds. I am in love again.
The book itself is much different than opening of Air Awakens. It's action packed and focuses on character development instead of romance. Kinda reminded me of Six of Crows at times - they are definitely different but invoke similar 'feeling'.
I can't wait to get my hands on the second book!
The book itself is much different than opening of Air Awakens. It's action packed and focuses on character development instead of romance. Kinda reminded me of Six of Crows at times - they are definitely different but invoke similar 'feeling'.
I can't wait to get my hands on the second book!
◦ I've received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review ◦
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I discovered the work of Elise Kova in late 2015 and actually waited until the entire Air Awakens series was published to start reading them because I was very certain that what I’d seen in the blurbs and book previews was a talented fantasy author.
And with this newest series, I’m proven right yet again. Ms. Kova knows fantasy and is one hell of a writer (also, did you know book #2 is coming out in just three months? Wild!)
I was pulled in by tagline “her vengeance his vision” and though “steampunk” novels tend to not be up my alley (blame it on far too many badly done Victorian steampunk novels) I wanted to see how Ms. Kova would run with the idea. She had surprised me happily with her unique alterations to the familiar magic-imbued fantasy world concepts we all know in the Air Awakens series, so I had high hopes that she could take the steampunk concept somewhere exciting.
Overall, this novel greatly held my attention and didn’t fall victim to the things that had ruined the steampunk aesthetic for me in prior books. As expected, the world is neatly crafted with lots of original content like the three races (fenthri, chimera, and dragon), the structure of the worlds (Loom and Nova) and their societies (Loom’s social structure of guilds and Nova’s imposing hierarchy of Houses and titles), and the nature of the magic. But it’s not without its familiar elements too, which mostly are based in the steampunk-like technology and the social problems the characters and world face (which even managed to work in that fenthri originally were very accepting of same-sex relationships until the dragon’s regime took over and lets us learn that Ari is bisexual. It’s not super heavily explored or made a major issue, but I liked that it was acknowledged and included all the same).
I was quite taken with the plot; it’s simple enough in the blurb, which helps us keep a clear focus throughout the layers of subplot and character development, but ends up unfolding a bit more complexly. It’s full of action and danger, the pace is fast, the battles are fierce and frequent, and the air of something going wrong at any moment permeates the book’s atmosphere. Even though most of the book is dedicated to them travelling to the alchemist guild, there’s not really a dull moment because along the way—and in between all the face paced action—we spend a lot of time focusing on our characters, who are all equally interesting and enjoyable to read about. They grow and change with one another during this journey to the alchemists. All three of the mains stand in different places—Ari with her secrets, Cvareh with his Nova life and detachment from Loom’s reality, and Florence with her youthful nativity and fears—and this first book spends a lot of time seeing these things unfurl. Ari and Cvareh learn about one another and gain new perspective on each other and the different worlds they come from, while Florence grows up and becomes a more confident, driven person who wants to help bring a new vision of the future to fruition. The character driven plot points are very good at giving the book depth and meaning. It’s easy to care about their plights and respect their goals, which is crucial in a book being enjoyable.
I was a little lost on some of the world building stuff, but just as a heads up there’s a little guide at the end of the book that gives a rundown of the stuff like the guilds and dragon nobility and name pronunciation. I’d recommend book marking it for reference while reading or even reading it through once before you begin the book. It’s a little unconventional for a fantasy to just have a guide and not have lots of exposition in the actual story, but I personally don’t mind it. At the very least, it made it so the book didn’t interrupt its flow every few pages to roll out a few paragraphs explaining every new thing that popped up. Though I also wish it’d been put at the front so I’d have come across it sooner; I didn’t know it was there when I started and it’d have been helpful while reading. I managed to find my footing all the same without a guide’s help, but it took a little while. Also, there’s a lot of supplementary content on Ms. Kova’s website and social media that had been put up prior to the book’s release, so it might be worth it to go look there for more The Alchemists of Loom stuff.
To be honest, I don’t really have anything negative to say. The book does have a little bit of a serial/cliffhanger feel to it, but the ending does wrap up the first arc (getting to the alchemists) so it makes sense that the next big arc would be covered in the next book. I also appreciate that this book, while not beyond what the YA readers of Air Awakens could read an love, was marked as adult literature for its 22 and 40-something protagonists (though dragons age slower and live longer so Cverah isn’t like weirdly older than Ari). I got through the whole 380+ page book in one sitting, didn’t feel like I was dragging myself to the finish, and I feel pretty excited to read book #2 although I wasn’t left with “I NEED IT RIGHT NOW” feelings since the book leaves off on a good point for the readers to take a breath and pause. There’s just a whisper of romance in this one, so if we see more in the next books I’m assuming it’ll be more of a slow-burn than along the lines of insta-love. I recommend this to any reader of fantasy who likes bickering, snarky heroes, steampunk aesthetic, enjoys lots of action, and appreciates themes of overthrowing tyranny and fixing the social ills of the world.
*I was given a free copy of this title via Net Galley, but in no way does that affect my review and the opinions expressed in any way, for better or worse*
I actually liked this book enough to purchase my own ebook copy via kindle (since my galley version doesn't have the awesome cover art and has a few formatting problems).
And with this newest series, I’m proven right yet again. Ms. Kova knows fantasy and is one hell of a writer (also, did you know book #2 is coming out in just three months? Wild!)
I was pulled in by tagline “her vengeance his vision” and though “steampunk” novels tend to not be up my alley (blame it on far too many badly done Victorian steampunk novels) I wanted to see how Ms. Kova would run with the idea. She had surprised me happily with her unique alterations to the familiar magic-imbued fantasy world concepts we all know in the Air Awakens series, so I had high hopes that she could take the steampunk concept somewhere exciting.
Overall, this novel greatly held my attention and didn’t fall victim to the things that had ruined the steampunk aesthetic for me in prior books. As expected, the world is neatly crafted with lots of original content like the three races (fenthri, chimera, and dragon), the structure of the worlds (Loom and Nova) and their societies (Loom’s social structure of guilds and Nova’s imposing hierarchy of Houses and titles), and the nature of the magic. But it’s not without its familiar elements too, which mostly are based in the steampunk-like technology and the social problems the characters and world face (which even managed to work in that fenthri originally were very accepting of same-sex relationships until the dragon’s regime took over and lets us learn that Ari is bisexual. It’s not super heavily explored or made a major issue, but I liked that it was acknowledged and included all the same).
I was quite taken with the plot; it’s simple enough in the blurb, which helps us keep a clear focus throughout the layers of subplot and character development, but ends up unfolding a bit more complexly. It’s full of action and danger, the pace is fast, the battles are fierce and frequent, and the air of something going wrong at any moment permeates the book’s atmosphere. Even though most of the book is dedicated to them travelling to the alchemist guild, there’s not really a dull moment because along the way—and in between all the face paced action—we spend a lot of time focusing on our characters, who are all equally interesting and enjoyable to read about. They grow and change with one another during this journey to the alchemists. All three of the mains stand in different places—Ari with her secrets, Cvareh with his Nova life and detachment from Loom’s reality, and Florence with her youthful nativity and fears—and this first book spends a lot of time seeing these things unfurl. Ari and Cvareh learn about one another and gain new perspective on each other and the different worlds they come from, while Florence grows up and becomes a more confident, driven person who wants to help bring a new vision of the future to fruition. The character driven plot points are very good at giving the book depth and meaning. It’s easy to care about their plights and respect their goals, which is crucial in a book being enjoyable.
I was a little lost on some of the world building stuff, but just as a heads up there’s a little guide at the end of the book that gives a rundown of the stuff like the guilds and dragon nobility and name pronunciation. I’d recommend book marking it for reference while reading or even reading it through once before you begin the book. It’s a little unconventional for a fantasy to just have a guide and not have lots of exposition in the actual story, but I personally don’t mind it. At the very least, it made it so the book didn’t interrupt its flow every few pages to roll out a few paragraphs explaining every new thing that popped up. Though I also wish it’d been put at the front so I’d have come across it sooner; I didn’t know it was there when I started and it’d have been helpful while reading. I managed to find my footing all the same without a guide’s help, but it took a little while. Also, there’s a lot of supplementary content on Ms. Kova’s website and social media that had been put up prior to the book’s release, so it might be worth it to go look there for more The Alchemists of Loom stuff.
To be honest, I don’t really have anything negative to say. The book does have a little bit of a serial/cliffhanger feel to it, but the ending does wrap up the first arc (getting to the alchemists) so it makes sense that the next big arc would be covered in the next book. I also appreciate that this book, while not beyond what the YA readers of Air Awakens could read an love, was marked as adult literature for its 22 and 40-something protagonists (though dragons age slower and live longer so Cverah isn’t like weirdly older than Ari). I got through the whole 380+ page book in one sitting, didn’t feel like I was dragging myself to the finish, and I feel pretty excited to read book #2 although I wasn’t left with “I NEED IT RIGHT NOW” feelings since the book leaves off on a good point for the readers to take a breath and pause. There’s just a whisper of romance in this one, so if we see more in the next books I’m assuming it’ll be more of a slow-burn than along the lines of insta-love. I recommend this to any reader of fantasy who likes bickering, snarky heroes, steampunk aesthetic, enjoys lots of action, and appreciates themes of overthrowing tyranny and fixing the social ills of the world.
*I was given a free copy of this title via Net Galley, but in no way does that affect my review and the opinions expressed in any way, for better or worse*
I actually liked this book enough to purchase my own ebook copy via kindle (since my galley version doesn't have the awesome cover art and has a few formatting problems).
This book is freaking AMAZING.It's EPIC.
And I was this close to screaming my head off when it ended.
When I was starting Alchemists of Loom,I had no idea what I was getting myself into.I read the blurb and the words "notoriously unscrupulous morals to contribute to a thriving underground organ market" caught my eye.Those words screamed that this was my kind of book.I knew I just had to start my year with this book.And now I can honestly say that 2017 started with a bang.
What is this about?
This book tells the story of two kingdoms: Loom and Nova.Loom is where the Fenthri live under the rule of Dragon King and Nova is where the dragons live in the sky.The Dragons and Fenthri hate each other.The Loom has people which belong to either of the five guilds: Harvesters,Alchemists,Ravens,Revolvers and the Rivets.
Arianna (known as Ari) is a master Rivet who is a organ thief (see why I loved this book :) ).Cvareh is a dragon who wants to see his sister usurp the Dragon King.Their journey to the Alchemists Guild along with Florence (Ari's pupil) gives us this fabulous book.
Elise Kova writes a beautiful world in this book.This is a steampunk novel so I was excited to see how she would represent the world.This novel has airships and weapons that would make you drool to be honest (atleast they were appealing to me).
The story is told in four different pint of views(Arianna,Cvareh,Florence and Leona) and you can see the contrast so easily.I personally loved Arianna and Florence's chapters.They were so different from each other.
(Images from author's pinterest)
CHARACTERS:
Arianna:The White Wraith.My favorite character in the book was probably Ari.I loved her so much.Finally I met a heroine who wasn't gorgeous by default.Ari is describes as dull with white hair and purple eyes.She isn't always right and she makes mistakes which was refreshing to read.She is passionate about the old Loom(which wasn't ruled by dragons) and the way she was with Florence just made me read about her more.I loved her with the daggers too. <3 <3
Cvareh: Every time he insisted to be called by his full name,I laughed out loud.Cvareh isn't one of those all powerful alpha heroes.He loves his sister and respects his Dragon House Xin (too much,if you ask me).The friendship he develops with Florence was good to watch.Even when Ari didn't support him,Florence did.You can see him grow up,I mean he was a stuck-up at first (no offence,Cvareh) but then he gets used to the guns and has sassy retorts at hand.But that scene where he...
Florence: This girl is so kind,sweet and total opposite of Ari.She is like a baby sister to Ari and the level headed one to Ari's temper.She balanced the story perfectly in my opinion though to avoid too much violence (I know,I can't believe I am saying it).
Leona:This lady is one crazy bitch TBH.I mean I get that she is the King's Rider so her loyalty is to the King but she takes it to extremes.I just wanted to skip her chapters (I didn't,though).
At times,I was like "NO WAY" this is not happening.I was rooting for each and every one of them (except Leona).
You guys have to read Alchemists of Loom.If you love a fantasy packed with action and beautiful writing,this book is for you.
*ARC provided by the publisher for an honest review
A unique world where of different species where Dragons have restructured how the Fenhari live. The Fen are ground dwellers where the Dragons live above the clouds. Then there are Chimeras, Fen who have transplanted Dragon parts for magic enhancement. It's a fantastic read where a Dragon, Fen and Chimera work together for the same goal. Looking forward to the rest of the series!
I think this is the first steampunk book I’ve ever read and it was so much fun! The characters are so fun to root for in their need for vengeance, while also hoping they see past it. The world was super unique with the three different classes of humanoids, and I can’t wait to continue!